iPad to Lose Market Share to Android Tablets, Says IDG

Over the next year, 44 percent of first-time tablet buyers will purchase an Android tablet, while only 27 percent will opt for an iPad.

Say what?

The surprising stats are from IDG Connect’s recent study of 3,124 IT and business professionals worldwide. The survey found that Android is the tablet OS of choice in emerging nations, such as Africa, as well as in Europe. In North America and Australia/New Zealand, the iPad will continue to dominate.

“The rise in tablet usage and increasing prevalence of BYOD is set to have a fundamental impact on IT and business over the next few years,” said Kathryn Cave, editor at IDG Connect, in a statement. “These findings signify changes in work mobile consumption and market leadership in the tablet arena. They also have implications for business in emerging regions, IT security and marketers worldwide.”

Also a bit surprising: Only 3 percent of survey respondents said they would opt for a Windows 8 tablet in the next year. Could be that since Windows 8 tablets don’t yet exist, no survey participants felt ready to commit to owning one.

Keep in mind this is a survey of IT and business professionals and not general consumers, who tend to prefer iPads over Android tablets.

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